Disclaimer: The world and characters of He-Man and She-Ra do not belong to me.
A/N: Sorry, it's been a while, so if you've been following this story, I recommend you re-read the previous chapter(s) to refresh your memory. If you are a new reader, thanks for not stopping at chapter one. As always, immense thanks go to Redskyy for his invaluable assistance. Now on with the story.
Hordak landed back in Etheria with a thud and a grimace of annoyance. That emergency portal needed some tweaking. His hasty retreat from Eternia was unplanned and he hadn't had the time to preset alternative coordinates. Thus, his landing back at the Fright Zone's sprawling air field was still some distance away from his work lab. But no matter. At least he got away and he brought back a little gift with him. Gazing greedily at the Energy Blaster, his mind was already racing with ideas on how this new technology could be used to his own advantage.
He was greeted by an army of troopers, but none of his generals or Shadow Weaver. Displeased by this lack of respect, Hordak ordered that the troopers get back to work and signaled a couple of them to carry his newest weapon carefully back to his private work quarters. "Where are my generals?" he barked.
"Likely being punished by your new force captain," Shadow Weaver replied as she appeared at his side. "I would have been here to meet you, but I've been keeping a close eye on Adora," she informed. "We need to talk...privately."
Hordak grunted. "Very well, follow me."
oOo
From the pile of wood scraps and ashes, Bo freed another book and added it to his small stack. It would take some time to re-build the school, but they got a good start on it today. The remnants of the old building were hauled away and most of the walls of the new structure had been erected. The roof would be taken care of another day. When darkness descended, the townspeople called it a day and headed for the main square to join in the celebrations being held there. Bo and the members of the Great Rebellion were invited to join them, of course, so he returned home to extend the invitation.
As he reached the camp, he was greeted with cheers and hard pats on the back. More cheers erupted when Bo recalled the invite to the party in town and most headed in that direction. All he wanted was to see Glimmer and his day would be complete. He reached the main tent and couldn't help but frown when he saw how close Glimmer and the stranger had become. Both were bent over the table reading a map. The stranger made some sort of suggestion and Glimmer smiled in approval. Bo decided that it was time to interrupt this little interlude.
Glimmer looked up from her perusal of a map of Thamor and was happy to see that Bo had returned. "Bo, how goes the school?"
Bo grinned and shared the good news. "We got a good start on repairing the school. One room only suffered minor damage, but the second will need to be rebuilt from the ground up. I offered to come by tomorrow, but they said that they can finish from here. There's a party in High Village's main square and we are all invited. You, too, He-Man," Bo added generously.
He-Man shook his head. "You two go on ahead. I need to find Adam and continue our mission. But I'll be back in time to prepare for Thamor."
"Thamor?" Bo asked, surprised. "Has there been more news?"
"I believe Thamor is next on the Horde's list," Glimmer explained. "The townspeople have been grumbling about the Horde's taxes and rumors say that the new force captain may step in to assert the Horde's authority."
"So we prepare for another battle," Bo said grimly. He nodded and tightened his hold on his bow.
"But enough for now. Let's go to High Village and celebrate," Glimmer suggested.
He-Man waved them off and left in the opposite direction. As soon as he was assured of privacy, he returned to his natural state as Adam and tried to reach the Sorceress again. He called to the Sorceress telepathically and was relieved to receive an answer. "Sorceress, has there been trouble at home?"
"Man At Arms has increased security around the castle and his daughter Teela has been sent to monitor Skeletor's activities. But Adam, I must tell you that it is imperative that you complete your mission," the Sorceress urged.
"I know you said to trust my instincts, but I've had no luck finding the owner of this sword," Adam revealed. He was concerned by the signs of tension he could hear in the Sorceress' voice. "Sorceress, has something happened?"
From the confines of Castle Grayskull, the Sorceress paced as she chose her words carefully. She hated that she couldn't reveal more to Adam. She was sure that her daughter was meant for the Sword of Protection, but the sword's true owner could only be guided. Any attempts to seize, coerce, or give the sword away rendered the sword's power useless. It was an additional measure that The Elders added to keep the sword away from enemy hands. But it did make the Sorceress' job more difficult.
"I've received a visit from Skeletor, but he was not alone," the Sorceress admitted. "He brought an old enemy to the castle as well as the shipment of weapons that Man At Arms was expecting. But there's no cause for worry. I took care of Skeletor. The castle and Eternia are safe for now."
"But what about the weapons? And can you tell me more about this 'enemy' he brought with him?" Adam pressed.
"I have reason to believe they are both in Etheria," the Sorceress said ambiguously.
"If there are any weapons here, then they must be with the Horde. Are you saying the Horde was once in Eternia?" Adam was shocked that he had not learned of this before.
"That was many years ago. No one had any reason to believe he would be back. He had taken what he came for and left." The Sorceress made an effort to keep the pain and bitterness from her voice.
Adam, thinking she was speaking of the weapons, considered his options. He believed that she was right. The Horde obviously returned to Eternia specifically for the weapons, and now that they had their hands on them, Eternia was safe for now. The real problem was keeping Etheria safe. "He-Man is assisting the people here with an upcoming battle against the Horde. Any new weapons will surely be used then. I'm also curious about this new force captain of theirs," Adam said. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that the new force captain was the key to the defeat of the Horde.
"Force captain?" she repeated somewhat sharply. "What can you tell me about this force captain?"
"Not much," Adam said grimly. "The Horde has promoted one of their generals to force captain status and the people here are concerned how this new development will affect their lives. I'll do what I can to help, but I am aware how important my mission is here. I won't let the Horde deter me from finding the sword's owner."
"For now, your battle with the Horde and your mission look to be intertwined," the Sorceress said serenely. "You must do what you can. But it's important that you keep your eyes open and trust your instincts," she stressed again.
"I will, Sorceress," Adam vowed. Their telepathic connection ended and Adam hurried to High Village to share the news of the Horde's new weapons. He only knew vague details of the weapons based on Man At Arms' descriptions of them. Most of the Rebellion's forces were simple farmers. But Glimmer and Bo seemed to be formidable in their own right. Adam had to hope that they were enough.
oOo
"I tell you, something is not right. She is not herself." Shadow Weaver tried once again to get Hordak to listen to reason, but she did not have his full attention and most likely wouldn't until he was done with his new toy. He was always this way about a new weapon. "Another session with me couldn't hurt."
Hordak waved an impatient hand at Shadow Weaver to halt her words. "Enough, Shadow Weaver. You worry for nothing. I wouldn't have promoted Adora if I was not absolutely confident in my ability to control her. Are you questioning my actions?"
"No, Mighty One, but wouldn't --"
Again, Hordak interrupted Shadow Weaver's arguments. "I will see Adora for myself," he decided. From their position just feet from the Fright Zone's training field, the two watched Adora at work.
The normally fearsome Horde generals were not looking so menacing today as they finally completed Hordak's strict training regimen for the second time that day. Gasping for breath with sweat pouring from their faces, the group came to a halt and shot glares of resentment at their captain when her back was turned. "Again," Adora commanded forcefully as she approached with hands on her hips. Imp was at her side taunting them whenever he had the chance. "Not only do you fail to subdue and capture one man, you next waste valuable resources to launch an unsuccessful, unauthorized attack on a town that was within Horde control. Obviously, you need more training," she continued.
"It was all Leech's idea," Scorpia drawled bitterly. "I say you couldn't have done any better."
Adora narrowed her eyes and launched a surprise attack that subdued Scorpia, who fell to the ground. "Couldn't I?" Adora challenged.
Hordak laughed delightedly as he approached the group. "Excellent work, Adora. I see I left my troops in capable hands." Shadow Weaver followed close behind.
Imp bounded closer to Hordak. "Master, did you hear what I learned about the swords?"
"Of course," Hordak replied. "Good work, as always. As for the rest of you, you heard your force captain. Back to work. Adora, come with me. I have a special surprise for you. Shadow Weaver, you and Imp can finish overseeing their training."
Adora straightened her shoulders. "Certainly." She was relieved that Hordak had chosen not to berate her over the failed attack, instead putting the blame rightfully on the others' shoulders. It would have been humiliating to be chastised publicly. Worse, he could have taken away her promotion and all her efforts to please him would be for nothing.
She followed him to his work quarters, curious about what surprise Hordak had in store for her. She glanced around at the shelves full of projects, both completed and half-finished, that Hordak had been working on either for his own personal use or for the benefit of his Horde army. But she didn't see anything new thus far. They reached another pile of weapons on a large steel table positioned near the center of the room. Again, she saw nothing new.
But then again, looks can be deceiving. Her eyes picked up on the unfamiliar design and the strangeness of the metal. What manner of weapons were these? They certainly weren't made in Etheria. "Hordak, what material are these weapons made from?" She leaned forward to take a closer look, but didn't touch.
Hordak smiled, pleased with Adora's perceptiveness. Again, he was confident that he made the right decision in giving Adora responsibility over his army. "This is the Energy Blaster. I picked it up from my recent travels. I plan to improve the technology to increase the capabilities of our own weapons, but for now, would you like to test it out?"
Adora moved closer, eager to prove her worth. Hordak went on to explain the Energy Blaster's capabilities as it stood now and she couldn't wait to try it out in battle. "We'll take it out for a few test runs to make sure you've got a good handle on the Energy Blaster and then test it out in battle," Hordak declared.
Adora smiled slowly. "You know Thamor has been less than grateful for the Horde's rule. It would be the perfect place to launch an attack against the Rebellion."
Hordak smirked. "I like how your mind works." Adora hoped she merited his confidence.
oOo
The celebrations were in full swing when Adam reached High Village. He passed the crowd of dancers, children at play, and others sharing toasts of wine, but thus far, no signs of Bo or Glimmer. He saw another group roasting a large boar over a bonfire before finally spying the two he needed in conversation with some villagers.
The villagers had moved on to mingle with others by the time Adam approached. Bo and Glimmer greeted him warmly this time, a big difference from the last time he spoke to them as Adam. "Welcome Adam, we wanted to apologize for our behavior," Glimmer said contritely.
"Is He-Man with you?" Bo asked.
Adam shook his head. "There's been some news." Adam shared what he learned from the Sorceress, and the two leaders of the Great Rebellion were as concerned as Adam by this new development.
"How can we defeat this weapon? Would Glimmer's magic or one of my arrows do the trick?" Bo asked.
"He-Man can destroy the Energy Blaster, but I'm more concerned about innocent people getting hurt," Adam explained. "He told me about the battle you are planning in Thamor."
Bo nodded. "You're right. If the Energy Blaster is as dangerous as you say, villagers could get hurt if we stage it in town."
"We should head back to camp," Glimmer determined. Bo and Adam agreed. The three returned to Whispering Woods to talk strategy.
An hour later, it was decided. The next morning, Adam would leave camp to find He-Man, who had left to continue their primary mission. Once He-Man was located, he and Adam would sneak into Horde headquarters to find and destroy the Energy Blaster. Glimmer and a group of members of the Rebellion would keep watch over High Village should the Horde decide to return in order to seek retaliation. Bo and others would be planted in Thamor, too, in case the Horde decide to cause trouble there, instead. It was a solid plan.
Before dawn the next morning, Adam awoke to head out to find the Fright Zone. The others were still awakening or going about their morning ablutions half-asleep. He found Bo preparing extra arrows. "I'm heading out. He-Man shouldn't be too far," Adam murmured.
Bo nodded, unsurprised that He-Man would choose to camp alone nearby. The warrior, though loyal, seemed to be a bit of a loner. "Good luck with your mission. We'll set out for Thamor within the hour." As he watched Adam's retreating back, Bo could only hope that it wasn't the last he would see of him.
True to his word, Bo's team prepared to make the trek to Thamor close to an hour later. Dawn approached, lighting the path to the town. Suddenly, Bo called his team to a halt. A shadowy figure up ahead was approaching, but he couldn't make out whether it was a friend or foe. The figure wavered in place before abruptly collapsing. They cautiously made their way around the bend in the road to reach the person and Bo gasped to see a young man bloody from a wound in his arm and a gash at his temple. His arms and knees were badly scraped from where he must have fallen previously.
"Th-Thamor, Horde, attack," the young man gasped before passing out again.
Alarmed, Bo realized that they were too late. He could picture it. The Horde must have launched their attack on Thamor by the time Adam had left camp this morning. Cursing, Bo considered his options. His group was larger than Glimmer's, but not by much. But he'd have to sacrifice three of his men to get help. At least High Village was in close proximity. One was sent to bring word to Glimmer's team, and another to aid the young man. The third was sent to find He-Man, but there was little time to worry over whether He-Man would arrive before the battle was over. The Rebellion had worked alone before and they could work alone again.
oOo
Thamor was in a state of chaos and Adora tried to look satisfied over the result. She'd woken this morning with another intense headache and another disturbing dream, and both were proving to be distractions. She tried to ignore the ache in her head and concentrate on the task before her. It was imperative that this strike be successful. Hordak and Shadow Weaver remained behind in the Fright Zone, so this was Adora's first battle as leader.
There had been no signs of the Great Rebellion, so the Energy Blaster wasn't needed yet. Scorpia and the others were somewhat reluctant to take her orders, but even they had to see by now that she knew what she was doing. Thamor was properly cowed thus far and no further trouble seemed to be coming, but Adora didn't want to relax just yet.
Adora frowned as she watched the overly confident grins of her generals. "Leech, Catra, keep a close eye for signs of the Rebellion. It's not over yet," she cautioned.
"You worry too much," Catra purred.
"Yeah, this is an easy victory," Leech chimed in.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" A familiar male voice announced. An arrow burrowed into Leech's shoulder and the battle was on. Bo heard a female voice call for the use of the Energy Blaster and fervently hoped He-Man would be found in time.
Bo could see hundreds of Horde troopers and at least three or four of Hordak's generals. This was going to be a slaughter if at least Glimmer's team didn't arrive soon. He deftly dodged a laser beam headed his way and turned when he heard a battle cry behind him. Relief that reinforcements arrived changed to alarm when he realized that Glimmer must have used her magic to transport her team to Thamor.
"Glimmer!" Bo rushed to her side when she collapsed from exhaustion.
"It's nothing," Glimmer gasped. "I just overdid it is all."
Bo pressed his lips together, but didn't say anything. What was there to say? It was war. Bo and Glimmer got their first taste of the Energy Blaster and watched in amazement as laser beams blasted with more than twice the force of a usual beam. Now was not the time for exhaustion. They dodged another laser beam and fought off a trooper simultaneously before finding shelter behind a pile of fallen troopers. Things were looking bleak for the Great Rebellion and Glimmer was ready to announce a retreat when He-Man arrived.
"Need some help?" He-Man announced with a grin.
"He-Man, glad you could make it," Bo greeted.
"He-Man, the Energy Blaster!" Glimmer shouted in warning.
He-Man dodged a blast just in time to avoid being fried. The building behind him caught the blast instead, and instantly caught fire. He tried to discern from which direction the blast was coming from so that he could reach the weapon. Blasts continued to come his way, so he assumed he was headed in the right direction. He deflected another blow of the beam with his sword and even he was surprised by the intensity of the strike.
But his path was blocked by multiple Horde troops, scared villagers, and injured members of the Rebellion. Someone fell into his back and he turned in time to see it was an injured villager. Gritting his teeth, he forced back his arm, which had instinctively moved forward to strike. He must be more careful. These weren't experienced soldiers he was working alongside. Nightmares of the time when he thought he'd killed a man in battle threatened to consume him, but he fought those back, too. He'd almost given up then, but it wasn't going to happen again.
Due to the multiple blasts, the town was going up in flames, sending off waves of intense heat and smoke that made it even more difficult to discern friend from foe. He-Man deflected another attack of an enemy trooper from behind and turned around again just in time to bring down another, but not before the other got a lucky swipe to his face. As he brought down troops with his fists or his sword, he also realized the blasts coming his way seemed to be coming in closer succession, so he believed he must be getting close to the source.
Wiping the stray blood from the gash to his cheek, a flash of blond hair from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He raised his sword just in time to see his next adversary approach from the shadows with a weapon in hand. A pair of cool blue eyes connected with his own and the sounds of the battle around them faded.
The roar of the wind rushed past his ears and it was like his eyes had gained clarity for the first time. "It's you, you're the one," He-Man uttered in astonishment. He watched as the woman flashed him a sinister grin.
"And you must be He-Man." Lifting the Energy Blaster, Adora fired.